Objectives of the Family Categories are to strengthen families and communities, and contribute to New Zealand’s economic transformation and social development. Helping a family member, whether it is your spouse, fiancé, child, parent or grandparent, to come to New Zealand may seem straightforward, but there are many nuances in each type of family-based visas. Please read our website carefully, and if you have any questions, please contact us for more information on family-based immigration.
Partnership Visas
Within the immediate relative or family sponsored visas, some of the most popular ones are the visas for spouses and partners. The visas allow your loved ones to come to New Zealand and settle here for the duration of your stay.
Visas available for the partners are:
- Visitor Visa
- Work Visa
- Resident Visa
Which one fits your family better depends on the requirements and whether you can fulfill them. Generally, to apply for a temporary visa (Visitor or Work), your sponsoring partner should hold a student visa (studying a postgraduate course), work visa (some terms and conditions apply), a resident visa, or hold a New Zealand citizenship. To sponsor a resident visa, your partner can only be a resident or a citizen themselves.
All partnership visas have specific requirements for recognition of the union. Your partnership should be genuine and had been entered into on a long term and exclusive basis, and you also should be living together at one location. The cohabitation requirement is different for temporary and resident visas. There is on minimum timeframe you have to meet when applying for a temporary entry visa, but to be successful in your residence application, you have to be living together for over a year.
Dependent child visas
Your dependent children can apply to join you in New Zealand. INZ only consider children who are single to be dependent, but other rules apply too, depending on whether you are applying for:
- a temporary visa, like a visitor or student visa (dependent children aren’t eligible for work visas)
- a resident visa.
Resident visas
| If your child is aged… | INZ will consider your child is dependent if they… |
|---|---|
| 17 or under |
|
| 18 – 20 |
|
| 21 – 24 |
|
If your children don’t meet the criteria for dependent children, they may still be able to join you in New Zealand if each child applies for a visa in his or her own right.
Temporary visas
| If your child is aged… | INZ will consider your child is dependent if they… |
|---|---|
| 17 or younger |
|
| 18 or 19 |
|
Children aged 20 and over aren’t eligible to be included in their parents’ visitor visa applications or are able to apply for a visitor or student visa based on their relationship to their parents. But they still may be able to join you in New Zealand if each child applies for a visa in his or her own right.
Parent Visas
Immigration New Zealand will begin processing applications for The Parent Resident Visa again from 14 November 2022. Let us remind you that in 2016 this category of parent residence visas was temporarily closed.
The new parental quota involves the consideration and issuance of 2,500 visas instead of the old 1,000. Also, the rules for Sponsors have been updated.
Basic requirements for the Sponsor:
- have residency or citizenship of New Zealand (for at least 3 years)
- be 18 years of age or older
- reside in New Zealand for 184 days or more in 1 year
- provide internal income tax returns (within 2 of 3 years prior to filing)
- confirm relationship with parent(s)
Read more about the requirements for applicants.
Financial requirements for applicants.
There are also other options for bringing parents to New Zealand:
Parents can come to New Zealand on a temporary visitor visa, like a regular tourist visa, or on a Parent/Grandparent Visa, which is issued for a period of 3 years, allowing a stay of 6 months, starting from each date of arrival. These visas are multiple-entry.